Editorial: Charges of contempt

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007 | 7:01 a.m.

House Democrats are threatening to hold key White House players in contempt of Congress unless they honor subpoenas and tell what they know of the Justice Department's unprecedented firings of nine U.S. attorneys, including Daniel Bogden of Nevada.

In a report filed with the House clerk Monday, Democrats accused former White House counsel Harriet Miers of failing to testify after being subpoenaed. In addition, Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolton were charged with failing to provide information about whether the White House had ordered that the U.S. attorneys be fired last winter.

President Bush and White House officials have been steadfast in claiming that Bush's conversations with Bolten and Miers are protected under executive privilege, which makes them immune from being forced to reveal what they know about the dismissals.

The firings, which happened under then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, revealed the Justice Department to be highly politicized : The department fired U.S. attorneys who were perceived as failing to carry out the Bush administration's agenda.

Bush should order his current and former staff members to answer all of Congress' questions in this matter. But instead the president refuses to do so, seeking to obstruct the government oversight the American people expect Congress to provide.